Monachus
Encyclopedia
Monachus is a genus
(and a subgenus of the same name) containing the monk seals, a group of three Pinniped species. They are the only earless seals (Family Phocidae) which are found in tropical climates. They are now extremely rare, and the genus is in imminent danger of going entirely extinct.
These include:
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
(and a subgenus of the same name) containing the monk seals, a group of three Pinniped species. They are the only earless seals (Family Phocidae) which are found in tropical climates. They are now extremely rare, and the genus is in imminent danger of going entirely extinct.
These include:
- the Hawaiian Monk SealHawaiian Monk SealThe Hawaiian monk seal, Monachus schauinslandi, is an endangered species of earless seal in the Phocidae family that is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands....
or Monachus schauinslandi (critically endangeredCritically endangeredVersion 2010.3 of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 3744 Critically Endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and subpopulations.Critically Endangered by kingdom:*1993 Animalia*2 Fungi*1745 Plantae*4 Protista-References:...
) - the Mediterranean Monk SealMediterranean Monk SealThe Mediterranean monk seal is a pinniped belonging to the Phocidae family. At some 450-510 remaining individuals, it is believed to be the world's second-rarest pinniped , and one of the most endangered mammals in the world.It is present in parts of the Mediterranean Sea and the eastern Atlantic...
or Monachus monachus (critically endangeredCritically endangeredVersion 2010.3 of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 3744 Critically Endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and subpopulations.Critically Endangered by kingdom:*1993 Animalia*2 Fungi*1745 Plantae*4 Protista-References:...
) - the Caribbean Monk SealCaribbean Monk SealThe Caribbean monk seal or West Indian monk seal is an extinct species of seal. It is the only seal ever known to be native to the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. The last verified recorded sighting occurred in 1952 at Serranilla Bank...
or Monachus tropicalis (extinctExtinctionIn biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
)